The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) says it will add specialist expertise to the early stage of its dispute resolution process, and will seek to eliminate the backlog of cases.

It will also start to exchange information electronically as standard, according to Chief Ombudsman Shane Tregillis in this financial year’s business plan.

The measures are intended to cut the time taken to resolve disputes. FOS aims to reduce the number of document exchanges, increase phone contact to clarify issues and expectations at an early stage and implement better-focused investigation plans and streamlined decisions.

It also wants to provide financial services companies with large dispute numbers with “enhanced disputes analytics across a wide range of metrics and benchmark reporting”.